Greatest All Time Camping Blunders

[IFBwax]

So the last trip I forgot this plastic drawer thing that I keep all my silverware, cups, coffee, knives, lighters, basically all the little crap you need to cook with.

Which begs the question: What is the worst thing you've forgotten to take on a camping trip, how did you overcome it, or what's just the worst camping story you've got. Fire it up.

[Vanwilder]

Funny that you should ask this. My worst was at Nehalem 2 years ago when I first met you.(This was not to Blunder as I always enjoy your company) I arrived on Friday set up shop and realized that I had left my cooler at home in Beaverton. My Beer! My Food! My every sustainable item was in my cooler.

I went into town and bought canned chili and the like to make do. I also met Izzy and his wife who where camped next to me and they graciously shared what they had as well as Jaime and Laurie? from Hopworks contributed much beer to my cause. At first it sucked but then things worked out nicely thanks
to good camping friends.

[Randy in Maine]

I left the Westy at home.

I had to sleep in a tent on THE GROUND. It was lousy, bumpy and not flat.

[Sluggo]

Last camp out with Hambone when I ate some bad fish from Winco and ruined my whole Saturday night. Spent about 14 hours shivering, sweating & heaving. Sunday was nice though.

[Oregon72]

My camping blunder almost ended with me being a parapalegic when I ripped through the upper fold out canvas cot in a 5 foot drop to my near-demise (Diamond Lake, summer 2010). Had a kink in my neck for a couple weeks. Low degree of difficulty, but I sure stuck that landing. Ass over elbows as they say.

[sped372]

I don't see any blood. Quit complaining.

[Oregon72]

I agree with you. With a 75lb wt. limit or whatever that is I guess Stupid Hurts - It's supposed to hurt.

My wife thought I should get a Darwin Award for that one, but I reminded her that you actually have to die to win one of those. Oh well, there's always next time.

[sped372]

We've forgotten all sorts of things at one time or another... the stove, the tarp, money... the great thing about the bus is that you could pretty much forget everything and you're still ten steps further ahead than most other vehicles in terms of camp-readiness.

One that really stung was on our trip a couple years back at Copper Falls in northern WI. We were pulling thick, delicious-looking open-hand-sized bluegills out of the water just fishing from the beautiful scenic shore. We had to throw them all back because we didn't have a filet knife with us.